Have you spent the afternoon viewing the wildflowers at Figueroa Mountain recently and thought, what a great thing it would be to spend the night close by?
Have you stopped at one of the many turnouts along Figueroa Mountain Road and thought, what a perfect place to camp if I could?
Beautiful rolling hills surrounding you, views out over the Santa Ynez Valley and wildflowers to wake up to? What a delicious thought!
If you thought the Los Padres National Forest campgrounds were the only places you’re allowed to spend the night, think again. It is not only legal to camp at the turnouts on Figueroa Mountain Road and the Zaca Catway, it won’t cost you a dime.
Camping on the Mountain
Recently I headed up to Figueroa Mountain Road to check out the wildflowers.
I made my way up the winding road and past the campground heading toward the Ranger Peak saddle.
Just before the steep climb up to it, there’s a circular turnout on the right with a gnarled oak at the center. It’s one of the nicest spots you’d want to camp on the mountain.
There’s an existing fire pit, room to camp far enough from the road that provides a more isolated feeling, and an easy exit when needed.
Amazingly, it is OK to camp here, it costs nothing to do so, and you couldn’t ask for a better spot to wake up in the morning.
Another of my favorites is the Zaca Catway, precisely because it overlooks the entire Santa Barbara backcountry. It’s a bit more remote, too, and the views are fantastic.
The Dispersed Area Approach
The concept is called “dispersed area camping.” It’s free, available throughout many parts of the national forests, most Bureau of Land Management-managed lands, and some state park lands.
The trend toward camping out on the public lands rather than in a campground is growing ever more popular, partly because of past COVID-19 restrictions and the need for isolation, but now more a desire to camp in rather than near the places you want to visit.
There’s the cost factor, too. Spending the night at a Los Padres National Forest campground will set you back $30; at my camp along the Figueroa Mountain Road, $0.
Spending the night at the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, which I’m planning on doing soon, won’t cost you a dime, while a midweek room at the Best Western in town goes for $170 plus taxes.
Camping in Nature Not Near It
For me, the urge to camp out in nature rather than near it has been a guiding principle. Perhaps this has come from spending so much of my earlier years camping the San Rafael Wilderness, or on river trips or property I once owned in southwestern Utah.
Most of the places I’ve learned to love aren’t near cities, big or small. Most of the motels or campgrounds aren’t either.
I can think of a dozen or two places like the Eureka Dunes in Death Valley, the Trona Pinnacles near Ridgecrest, Red Rock Canyon, Anza Borrego and others where the trek from town means an hour’s drive or more to get there.
I’ll go for total immersion from the first view of the morning light from my van to the last glimmer of sunlight over the ridge top.
Boondocking Rules
In a larger perspective, this type of camping is known as “boondocking,” which more or less translates as camping in the boonies.
What differentiates it from traditional camping revolves around two main concepts that Campendium outdoor writer Sara Sheehy calls “wild camping.”
The first of these is “how you camp,” she explains. “There aren’t any bathrooms, water spigots or picnic tables. It’s just you, your camper and a piece of land to call your own for a night or two.”
That may seem simple enough for those who’ve camped out in the past, but doing so when you’re outside an established campground is a quite different proposition.
You’ll also need to bring the basics with you for cooking, cleanup, sleeping and bathroom — and doing so in the spirit of “leave no trace” ethics takes on a much higher level of importance.
Depending on how far off the main roadways you go, boondocking also means having good navigation skills, given that there may be no cellphone reception or access to mobile map applications.
Where to Camp
The second of these is where you camp. Basically, boondocking is simply camping in dispersed areas within the public lands.
Where you camp in those areas in most cases basically is as simple as pulling off anywhere where there’s a turnout or an area adjacent to the road that has enough bare soil to park without damaging the vegetation.
But before you begin setting up camp, it is also important to know whether the spot you’ve chosen is legal.
Locally, Los Padres National Forest includes information regarding dispersed area camping along with links to each of the forest districts.
There are also plenty of online websites, Android and Apple apps, and YouTube videos to provide information about almost anywhere you might want to go in the Western states.
One of the more popular camping websites is Campendium. It has put together a guide to free camping titled Boondocking 101 by Nathan Paul Swartz that may be helpful.
Apps for the Road
If you’re heading into more distant locations such as Red Rock Canyon, Anza Borrego or the Mojave Desert, you may want to consider adding a phone app designed for off-road travel.
Knowing exactly where you are and what road conditions are like may mean the difference between an amazing trip and the potential for disaster.
Two of my favorites are Gaiagps.com and onX Offroad. Neither is cheap at $29.99/year for onX and $39.95 for Gaia, but they can be a lifesaver.
Both will keep you from getting lost in Santa Barbara as well, meaning that they work well whether for a boondocking adventure, a local hike, a bike ride or trail run, or planning for your next trip.
Both also include the ability to export maps to your phone as digital maps, meaning that you’ll have access to them whether or not you have cell service.
And perhaps more importantly, both include public land boundaries and inholdings on their maps, and should ensure knowing whether your camp is legal.
Leave No Trace Imperatives
You should know that dispersed area camping comes with its own set of rules, the most important of them that wherever you camp, you need to leave it such that it will feel as if you’ve never been there.
No water, no trash cans, no toilets means you not only must bring what you need, but know how to minimize your impacts and be conscious of the impacts you may have on the plants, and animals that live near where you are camping, and on other people.
A simple guide to follow is this: When you’ve packed up and are heading out, drive a few yards outside your camp area, park and take the time to do a final check.
Ashes and coals should be cold to the touch, no trash, paper or other litter is still there, and nothing has been left behind.
Practicing Best Camping Practices
Aside from “leave no trace” practices, there are a few things — whether you’re in a campground or a dispersed area — that are an absolute.
The most critical of these is where to go to the toilet when there isn’t one nearby. That includes when dispersed camping, on a hike or backpacking in the wilderness areas.
To learn more about anything you almost never ever will need to know, takethetruck.com provides a comprehensive guide that will answer your questions.
The bottom line: Practicing good bathroom ethics may be one of the most important things you can do to protect our public lands for others to use.
Around the Campsite
While Los Padres National Forest allows use of existing fire pits when camping out, another important thing you can do to leave your site as clean as possible when you leave is to use a metal fire pit.
This keeps coals and burned material off the ground for disposal in the morning and is much safer to use.
The one I prefer is Rough Country’s collapsible fire pit, which features interlocking plates that form a hexagonal shape with plenty of interior space for a nice-sized fire. It folds flat when disassembled and takes up very little space.
Another important thing to note is that if collecting fire wood, it is only legal to collect down wood and never OK to break branches off trees or shrubs whether dead or alive.
Respecting the Solitude
Last, like others, one of the joys of dispersed area camping is the quiet that goes along with the adventure. Generators, loud music, or loud talking or laughing can ruin the experience for others.
It’s amazing how much there is to hear, whether the sound of the birds, the wind and — if you’re lucky — the howl of a coyote or other animals out on the hunt.
On the Road Again
In a few days I’ll be heading out for a trip up my favorite highway, the 395. I’ll spend the night in the Alabama Hills, head north to Big Pine, and from there to another favorite, the Eureka Dunes.
The next day will take me to the Saline Valley, whose colorful geology, hot springs and dead-sea-look saline wetlands create a Mars-like appearance.
There won’t be any established camps, just the turnouts or open spaces nearby to make mine (or yours) for the night. Black sky, a shooting star or two, and possibly a glimpse of the Milky Way.
Experiences like this are why boondocking is becoming ever more popular, and why it is my preferred way to camp.
Might a night out on one of the turnouts along Figueroa Mountain Road be in your future?